12 Infamous Celebrity Death Hoaxes

Find out which stars were rumored dead by pranksters

While some might argue that the hallmark of celeb status is being spoofed on Saturday Night Live, we think the ultimate sign of stardom is being the subject of a death hoax. Thanks to the work of sneaky pranksters in recent years, false alarms have frequently sounded off on the Internet, confounding fans and news organizations alike—at least for a day or two. From falling off cliffs to dying in car crashes, read on to find out how some of the biggest names in show business were incorrectly reported to have died.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar (1993)

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In 1993 teen girls mourned the reported death of the Saved by the Bell heartthrob, who was allegedly killed in a motorcycle accident. Only problem was, many of them didn't realize until years later he was still alive. Gosselaar, who has ridden motorcycles since he was a young boy, said on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon he first heard the rumor when he was in Michigan for Thanksgiving. "I remember someone getting a hold of me somehow and going, 'Oh, thank God you're not dead.' I said, 'What the hell? That was weird.'" Photo by Jennifer Currell / Retna Ltd.

Eminem (2000)

This story was entirely false, but a little easier to believe than others considering the rapper's past behavior. In December 2000, a news story attributed to CNN reported that Eminem (né Marshall Mathers) had been driving to a party while under the influence. After hitting a bank of trees, he was reportedly declared dead on the scene. Of course, the story quickly proved to be false, but has continued to circulate as recently as January 2010. Photo by FilmMagic.

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Tom Hanks (2006)

In 2006, Tom Hanks was the original victim of a popular celeb hoax cause of death: falling off a cliff in New Zealand while filming a movie. According to urban legend–busting site Snopes.com, the false report said: "New Zealand police officials indicate that the actor fell more than 60 feet to his death on the Kauri Cliffs while on set." Fortunately the report was false, because if true, he wouldn't have gone on to make this summer's blockbuster, Toy Story 3. Photo by RD / Scott Kirkland / Retna Di.

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Will Farrell (2006)

At least the Internet pranksters got slightly more creative with this one. In 2006, i-Newswire.com published a falsified press release stating that the Saturday Night Live alum had died in a paragliding accident when he and his guide were blown off course, both hitting a tree and falling to their death. i-Newswire.com withdrew the story once it realized it was a hoax, but the organization was never able to identify who was behind it. Photo by WireImage / Getty.

Paris Hilton (2007)

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It's probably the absurdity of this hoax that confused readers the most. While serving time for violating her probation on an alcohol-related driving case, Hilton was rumored to have been stabbed in jail. The story, which never explicitly said whether or not Hilton had been killed, did claim she was shanked by a woman she had verbally abused, which was, of course, false—and also very hard to believe. Hilton may not be a genius, but we don't think she's dumb enough to pick a fight in the slammer. Photo by RD / Retna Ltd.

Miley Cyrus (2008)

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Miley Cyrus was reported dead in 2008 when her YouTube Channel was hacked. A video was posted with a sad message saying, "Hey, guys, this is Mandy and I have some very sad news :( ...We're very hurt to tell everyone this, but Miley died this morning after being hit by a drunk driver. Miley told us if anything ever happened to her, then we should let her fans know before the public...R.I.P. honey, we will miss you so much." Cyrus didn't comment on the security breach, but fans instantly reached out online with messages of relief when the rumor was disproved. Photo by Pedro MenÈndez / Ipa Press / Retna Ltd.

Zach Braff (2009)

The Scrubs star's reaction to this rumor makes it hands-down the best on the list. After an Internet prankster created a fake webpage saying Braff was found dead in his home from a drug overdose, Braff posted a response on YouTube, in which he mocked the report, saying, "I'm alive. I'm here at Scrubs shooting the new Scrubs title sequence, which is a little bit like dying, so I guess that was semi-accurate." In the end, Braff blasted the man behind the spoof for "making my mom upset." Later, the actor received an apology from the culprit. Photo by FilmMagic.

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Jeff Goldblum (2009)

This was one of the more widely believed celebrity death hoaxes, probably because of when it happened. Actor Jeff Goldblum was rumored to have fallen off a cliff while working on a movie in New Zealand right after Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon died within the same week. At least he had a sense of humor about it: Goldbum went on The Colbert Report to prove he was, indeed, still alive. Photo by CAMERA PRESS/ Retna Ltd.

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Natalie Portman (2009)

Natalie Portman's death rumor was a little less believable than others. Just one week after Jeff Goldblum's hoax, it was reported that she had also been killed in New Zealand…because she fell off a cliff…while filming a movie. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice—well, that's just embarrassing. Photo by RD / Scott Kirkland / Retna Di.

Will Smith (2009)

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There's speculation that a real news article was actually behind the rumor that Smith died in a crash while driving his Porsche in the Hollywood Hills. Although that story was false, one real thing did happen: Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith was in an accident, which may have been the source of the confusion. Photo by Getty Images.

Taylor Lautner (2010)

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At the height of the Team Jacob vs. Team Edward rivalry, werewolf fans around the world briefly had their hearts shattered when false stories cropped up on the Internet that teen heartthrob Taylor Lautner had died. At the very least, Lautner didn't perish on a New Zealand cliff, but a drug overdose—as it was reported—wouldn't exactly have been a glamorous way for the then 17-year-old to go. Photo by pool / Retna Ltd.

Russell Crowe (2010)

Another country, another cliff—Russell Crowe was said to have fallen to his death while filming a movie on Hahnenkamm mountain in Austria. The false information was posted on Wikipedia.com, which allows anyone to edit articles without creating an account. It was quickly taken down by site administrators, but the rumor was already out there—and spreading fast. Photo by RD / Kenney / Retna Digital.

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